Brother

Chapter 2

Nico watched as his brother torture another one of his nameless follows. He gulped and turned his head away. Nico was standing in a dark alcove in the back of a large ballroom. Towards Nicos end sat Voldemort on his throne which was elevated on a raised dais, from here he could peer down on all his followers. However, the room only contained his most loyal followers and a couple of lower Death Eaters. Who, unfortunately for them, failed at their job. Voldemort, or Tom as he wished to be called by Nico, ended the Cruciatus curse, reliving the pain of the Death Eater crouched on the floor.

"I'm -I'm so sorry Ma-Master"

He managed to cry out. The man was full-on sobbing by now, and if it hadn't been for the fact that he missed his target, an order member, and hit a young child instead, Nico might have felt a little sorry for him. But alas, innocent children caught in the crossfire of war always struck a chord of sorrow within him. It's a miracle Nico didn't throw hands when he was told how Tom died the first time.

"Sorry is not good enough! Perhaps -" Tom looked off to his side into the direction of one of his top followers. A woman, Nico noticed, with dark hair that had a personality of its own.
"If you mess up again, Bellatrix will have a new target for her knife throwing practice."

The women, 'Bellatrix apparently' Nico mused, cackled loudly at his suggested.

"Now begone, the others stay behind, I have important business to discuss with you all"

Tom barked out, watching with hidden glee as the man, and the other Death Eaters in his group practically ran out of the hall in fear. Tom rose graciously from his throne and beckoned the others to follow him, departing from the ballroom and ventured into the same room that Nico first entered around three nights ago. Nico shadowed travelled into the meeting room and sat in a chair that was pushed into the darkest corner, from here he will wait.

For the past three nights, Nico and Tom have been gathering ideas and planning their assault on the light side. Nico has been working day and night, except for the short moments of sleep he would have in the (fairly large) room across the hall from Toms of sleep quarters. Pretending to help a psychopath while you seem like you're actually helping is a lot easier said than done Nico has discovered. He doesn't want to actually help in his plans to torch down villagers and go on murder sprees on innocent people, but he doesn't want to be seen as completely useless, enough so that Voldemort kicks him out, or worse, kills him.

Nico was pulled from his thoughts as the previous group entered the area and immediately sat themselves down on their designated chairs. Nico teased Tom when he found out.

'Aww did you make a little sitting chart for your favourite Death Eaters?'  Nico cooed from where he was lounging on the futon in Toms room.

'Yes, I did. And it was more stressful then it looks.' Tom said from where he was sat at his desk. Without looking up from the paperwork he was busying himself with he muttered,
'They can be very picky'

The Death Eaters sat in silence and watched as their Lord took his seat at the end of the long table. Tom moved his gaze to a trio of acrostic looking blondes. 'A family' Nicos brain helpfully supplied.

" Ah yes, you have brought your son like I asked, Lucious,"  Tom said in his breathy voice.

"Yes, of course, my lord" Lucious replied. Tom couldn't see from where he was sitting but Nico could see Lucious grip his wife and sons hands under the table.  Nico watched as they discussed something about Draco being used as an informant within the walls of Hogwarts. (Tom had to explain to Nico that "Hogwarts was a Wizarding school founded in Scotland and - stop laughing for Merlin's sake") But soon the discussion turned towards what Nico has actually been waiting for.

"I would like to introduce a new member to the dark side. He is not my follower but my equal and you will treat him as such" Tom said beaconing him forward. The Death Eaters were surprised. Not only was The Dark Lord saying that he was going to be ruling alongside somebody else but this person is also a very young boy, they discovered as Nico rose from his chair and made his way to stand beside Tom.

Nico looked around the table, mostly at the shocked looks but he unintentionally let his gaze linger on the young blonde from before. Lucious son, if Nico remembered correctly. 'With the blonde hair and grey eyes he could pass as a child of Athena' Nico was pulled from his thoughts, 'and staring' he embarrassingly thought, when Tom started to introduce him.

"This is Nico Di Angelo, I expect that he with be treated with the same respect you show me. You will take his word as final unless I say otherwise."

Tom looked around to see if anyone disagreed and quickly looked at the same women from before, Bellatrix.

" But my Lord,-" She begun, looking partially at Tom and partially at the table, "He is just a boy, surely he is not-"

"Silence!" Tom all but shouted, "I meant what I said Bellatrix, he is more than just a boy, now leave us"
Tom waved his left hand dismissively. Nico watched as they left the meeting room, he couldn't help but watch a certain blonde leave the room.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"What is the boy's name?"

Nico couldn't help but question. Nico and Tom were back in Toms office. They were seated in expensive looking leather chairs around the fireplace. Nico looked down at his hand which had a glass half-filled with an alcohol that Tom had called firewhisky.

"Who? Lucious Son?"

Tom looked up from the newspaper he was currently enjoying. He had always enjoyed the crosswords. Nico spoke, trying to level his voice as not to sound so desperate.

"Yes that one"

Thankfully Tom paid him no mind.

"I believe his name is Draco. Draco Malfoy. He may be your age, well physical age anyway"

Tom sent him a tight smile but noticed that Nico was only staring distracted into the flames. Tom closed his newspaper and ran a hand over his smooth scalp.

"Was there any particular reason you ask?"

Tom has his suspicions yet he didn't want to jump to conclusions. Nico looked back at Tom and then back to the fire.

"No, no reason I was just curious. That is all"

Nico put down his almost empty glass and stood up from his chair before making his way towards the doorway.

"I'll see you in the morning brother, good night"

Tom shook his head knowingly as Nico closed the door behind him.

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MY